US taps Boeing to build F-15s for Israel under $8.6 billion contract

JERUSALEM — The U.S. government is slated to allocate $8.6 billion to Boeing for the sale of 25 F-15 fighter jets to Israel, the Pentagon announced on Monday.

According to the statement, the deal covers the production of the F-15IA version of the fighter jet, with an option for an additional 25 such aircraft.

Boeing will make the warplanes at its St. Louis, Missouri, plant, with a completion date pegged at the end of 2035.

The Pentagon announcement came at the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and is considered Israel’s largest known defense procurement deal.

The F-15 deal was originally agreed between the two countries in November 2024, when it stood at $5.2 billion. The funds are part of a multiyear defense assistance agreement between Israel and the United States.

The higher dollar amount associated with this week’s announcement is likely due to the option for an additional batch of aircraft.

The F-15IA will be based on the F-15 models currently in Israel’s use, which were developed specifically for the Israeli Air Force in the 1990s and first entered service in 1998. The new aircraft version will include long-range attack capabilities, increased armament carrying capacity of up to 14 tons, and fly-by-wire guidance systems that allow for high maneuverability. The new jets also will include various Israeli defense systems.

Israel sees the procurement as key to ensuring its air superiority and maintaining strategic strike capabilities. The first new fighter jets are expected to be delivered to Israel as early as 2031 at a rate of 4-6 aircraft a year.

Israel has previously revealed that F-15 and F-15I aircraft were among the 140 fighter jets that participated in the 12-Day War against Iran last June with striking ground targets.